


Roommates

by madamebomb



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Tokka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:34:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4914358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamebomb/pseuds/madamebomb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If he were to kiss her, it would be like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Roommates

The tavern was loud, the beer was lousy and the clientele was decidedly not up to scruff. At least not for the likes of Republic City’s top police officers and a city Councilman. No one seemed to care though, especially not Toph. She loved the seedy little tavern in the Dragon Flats Borough, home of the burgeoning city’s latest boom town. It was her favorite after work hangout, and she sometimes convinced Sokka to tag along with her.

He said it was to keep her out of trouble. She had no idea what he was talking about. She hadn’t been in a tavern brawl in…two weeks. At _least._

Laughing, a beer in her hand, her feet propped up on rickety stool, she listened to the two men sitting beside her talking loudly about machinery. Sokka leaned across her at one point, grabbing the pitcher and pouring himself and Teo another drink.

Their old friend, it seemed, had taken after his father and had invented a new system of harnessing lightning, whatever that meant. Toph was content to drink her beer and chime in with a few smartass remarks. It had been a long day at work and unwinding was her only goal for the evening.

“It’s so good to see you guys!” Teo said, drawing her attention. “I bet you two see each other a lot, living in the city.”

“Actually, we’re roommates,” Toph said, jerking her thumb between her and Sokka. “We used to live with Aang and Katara, until they got married and moved out to Air Temple Island.”

“And they didn’t invite you guys to live there? Seems like a cushy place, with all those Air Acolytes waiting on you hand and foot.”

Sokka and Toph both snorted with laughter. “Are you kidding? Have you ever been around newlyweds? Especially when one of them is your sister?”

Teo laughed, sitting up in his wheelchair a little. “Can’t say that I have. I guess I can kind of see why you didn’t move then.”

“Besides, the Island’s a pain in the ass to get to and from every day. We both work in the city, so it’s just easier to live here.”

“Well, that’s nice to hear about Aang and Katara. I always knew those two would make it,” Teo said and then plowed on. “So, are you two dating?”

“Huh?” Toph asked, scrunching her nose. “Me and Sokka?”

She felt Sokka turn to face her a little and then he huffed out a laugh. “No, we’re just roomies.”

“Yeah, we’re _definitely_ not together.”

“Really? I always thought you two would hook up,” Teo said meditatively. “You guys have never…?”

Toph felt her face flame red and hoped no one would notice it. “No. We’ve never.”

“Not even once? You’ve never even kissed?”

“No,” Sokka said quickly. “She’s… _Toph._ ”

“And he’s…Sokka…” she said, and then made a face, sticking out her tongue. “Gross.”

Sokka made an offended noise. “Gross? What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

"It means you’re gross,” she said, taking a drink of her beer as Teo laughed a little.

“I’m not gross. _You’re_ gross. I wouldn’t kiss you if you paid me.”

“Please, you couldn’t handle me anyway,” she said with a laugh, nudging Sokka with her foot. “I’m too intimidating, sexually speaking.”

“You are not,” Sokka scoffed. “I’m a _way better_ kisser than _you_.”

“Pfffffttt…big talk for such a tiny man,” she said with a smirk as Teo snorted into his beer.

“I could kiss the shit out of you like _that,”_ Sokka said, snapping his fingers for emphasis, while she tipped back her head and laughed. “And you’d love it.”

“Yeah, right. And exactly how would do that?”

“With my seducing powers.” She convulsed into giggles as Sokka made an impatient huffing noise. “I could do it, you know.”

“I freaking _dare you_ ,” she replied savagely, shooting him a sharp grin. “Tell me how you would kiss me.”

“Fine.” Sokka put down his beer with a bang and stood up, his stool scraping across the floor. Then he leaned in to her, his mouth beside her ear. He took her hand in his and she felt his thumb rub gently across the back of it. “Toph…beautiful Toph… Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”

“Too pretty for you, that’s for sure,” she said as Teo laughed.

“Shut up and let me seduce you!” he said, jerking back from her.

“Right, right…Sorry… Go on,” she said, attempting to put on a straight face.

Sokka cleared his throat and went on. “You’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. I love the way you laugh, the way your feet are always filthy and the way you leave wet towels on the bathroom floor. You also don’t do the dishes. I wish you’d do the freaking dishes for once.”

“I’m not feeling real seduced right now.”

“That’s okay though. Maybe you don’t do the dishes, but you do other things. You haunt the house with your perfume. I walk into rooms you’ve left and breathe you in. I love the way you play with little bits of metal, shaping them into works of art. Which you destroy. Maybe you don’t think they’re beautiful or special, but I do. I steal them sometimes. I have a whole drawer of your artwork, and I dream about your hands… The things they could do…”

The smile on her lips suddenly seemed frozen in place. That was hitting too close to home. Surely he was lying about keeping her stupid little statues. Making them had become a nervous habit of hers over the years, a way to relieve stress. She swallowed a little as Sokka stroked the back of her hand.

“Then I think of my hands…touching you, running through your hair, cupping your face, your body. I think of your breath against mine, your body beneath mine. And how I’d like to touch you, to get even a taste of what perfection is like. Because you _are_ , Toph… Every inch of you… You’re a work of art…”

He leaned in and his hand touched her knee, running up the inside of her thigh. She hitched in a breath and stiffened a little.

“You drive me crazy. Every single night I go to sleep…wondering if you feel it too…” he whispered, so low she could barely hear him over the din of the other patrons. “I would do anything for you. But I’d settle for a kiss.”

The hand on her thigh turned and lifted to her chin. He caught her face in his hands and she felt his breath stir against her lips.

“May I kiss you, Toph?” he said, as his nose brushed hers.

“Sokka…” she whispered back to him, her hand lifting to touch his chest. “That was…so incredibly _pathetic_.”

Sokka groaned as she pushed him back, laughing as Teo snorted again. “Seriously? NOTHING?”

“I can’t believe you thought that would work!” she exclaimed, gesturing in his general direction. “ _Really?_ That’s how you would kiss me? By lying your pants off and tossing out a few compliments? The women you date must have really low standards!”

“Their standards are fine! You’re just dead inside,” Sokka said with a huff as she laughed.

“No, really. That was great. You nearly had me with that work of art line. Very smooth,” she said, grabbing her beer and taking a swig.

“You actually did look like he was getting to you. Your face was bright red,” Teo pointed out.

“I was just embarrassed for him,” she said quickly. The tavern was feeling very warm all of a sudden.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sokka said in a surly voice. “Look, it’s getting late. We should call it a night.”

“Yeah, before you start making out with the stevedores in the corner,” Toph said. She felt Sokka glare at her, but just laughed. They said goodnight to Teo and walked the short distance back to their apartment. Sokka didn’t talk much. She had a feeling she’d wounded his pride.

She went into the bathing room when they got home and got ready for bed, throwing on a comfortable old robe. She still felt strangely warm. Maybe she’d had too much to drink.

 _Or maybe…_ But she stopped that thought in its tracks immediately. _Don’t be stupid, Toph. It was a game. He was just trying to get a rise out of you. Don’t give him the satisfaction._

Steeling herself, she walked into the hallway, just as she heard Sokka come up the stairs.

“That was nice seeing Teo again. Feels like forever since he visited,” she said as she pulled the pins out of her hair and let it flow down her shoulders, pushed back only by her headband.

“Yeah. He’s sticking around for a while this time. Maybe we can get Aang and Katara to come for a visit?”

“Sure. Night, Sokka,” she said wearily and started to turn away from him.

“Toph,” Sokka said shortly, his heartbeat suddenly ramping up. It was the only warning she got before she felt his hand grasp her arm at the elbow. He spun her back toward him with a soft, but forceful pull, and then his arms were around her, pulling her into his hot, hard body.

His mouth crushed over hers and for a brief second, all she could register was the shock of it, the suddenness. And then instinct kicked in. She kissed him back, her hands finding his waist, pulling him against her. One of his hands was in her loose hair, cradling her neck. The scent of him, of hot chocolate and steel, filled her as his mouth moved against hers. His goatee, which she’d been teasing him about for months, tickled her chin and she had the thought that it wasn’t so bad, after all.

He made a little noise in the back of his throat as her lips caught his, as a hunger she hadn’t expected, hadn’t even known she had, took hold of her. His heart was thrumming, pounding through both of them as her bare feet dug into the stones. He tasted of the ale he’d drunk at the tavern, and of sweet, salty things.

Decadence. Kissing Sokka was pure decadence.

Her arms went around his neck, and she pulled herself up against him on tiptoes. Sokka kissed her even harder, his body moving into hers. His arms clasped her waist, hands spreading up her back as he bent over her. He seemed as hungry as she, as if a floodgate had been opened.

She was left wondering at it, caught in the wake of it, trying to keep up. After a few heady moments, in which the whole world seemed to stop turning, their mouths parted, leaving her panting against his lips. He breathed heavily, once, and then kissed her again.

Slowly this time, with intent and purpose. Like he was signing his name to his masterwork. She shivered a little, her toes clenching on the floor, his pounding heart echoing through her. She felt his tongue sweep across her lips, but when she opened to him, he teased her with the barest of flicks and retreated. She tried to follow, her mouth open, panting against his wonderful, wet lips.

She felt his hand on her chin and his thumb swiping along her wet lips for one hot moment. Then he kissed the tip of her nose and whispered, “ _That’s_ how I would kiss you.”

He let go of her all of a sudden, leaving her to stagger in place, her mouth open, feeling wrong-footed and sweaty. He took an unsteady breath and then spun on his heel and stalked into his bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving her standing alone in the hallway.

Confused. Aroused. Stunned. Ready to Metalbend the hinges off of his door.

Her hand lifted to her mouth, the taste of him lingering. She let out a breath that was non-too-steady, and then walked into her room and closed the door behind her. It hardly mattered. She could still feel his heartbeat, echoing through the floor, still pounding with adrenaline and arousal.

Slowly, a smile spread over her face.

Life had just gotten a lot more interesting.

_(end)_


End file.
